


Three idiots visit a festival and have fun

by TheLSpacer



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: (sorry idk how to tag this), Lizard Kissin' Tuesday, Multi, Second Citadel (Penumbra Podcast), day 3: affection/kisses, festival of the three, its just the flowers being cute at a carnival actually, penumbra pride week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-13 23:23:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19261249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLSpacer/pseuds/TheLSpacer
Summary: After missing most of last year's because… reasons, Rilla, Arum and Damien spend their first Festival of the Three together





	Three idiots visit a festival and have fun

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a short and silly fic for Day 3 of Penumbra Pride Week: affection/kisses. Enjoy!

There is a stranger in the Citadel, on the first night of the Festival of the Three. 

(And hopefully, nobody notices this new arrival)

The stranger is unremarkable. Tall, and dark skinned, he wears the traditional ceremonial garb of men in the Citadel. 

(The fact that the outfit, borrowed from Damien, is just a little loose, is masterfully concealed with a couple of pins and clips in just the right places)

The only thing of note is the chain of a necklace, the bauble it holds hidden beneath the stranger’s shirt, and yet, it seems to glow and pulsate with every minute that passes. The stranger and his two companions keep careful watch over this necklace throughout the night. 

(They owed Quanyii for this, big time)

Watch as the stranger walks, flanked by a knight of the crown, and the Citadel’s herbalist on either side, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, occasionally stumbling, catching himself on one of the two people beside him. 

(‘How are you humans supposed to walk without a tail?’) 

Watch as he enters the Citadel at night, failing to mask his expression of wonder as he stares at the cacophony of colours around him. Multicoloured lanterns, strung up above the streets, flags, tapestries and carpets hung out of windows, all in the Citadel’s colours - red, yellow and blue, the walkways covered in intricate chalk drawings, depicting the battle between human and monster fought so long ago. 

(‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’) 

Watch as he wanders among the stalls, senses assaulted by spices cooking all around him, rubbing his violet eyes as someone fries chilli nearby, the two beside him steering him out of the way as line of people parade past, holding onto wooden sticks, on top of which perches a giant serpent made of cloth and silk and glass. 

(It’s.. quite something, Amaryllis.’) 

Of course, there’s something to be said about the way his forehead wrinkles in distaste as the three watch masterfully crafted shadow puppets recreate Saint Aaron’s victory against the monsters that came by land, or the way he snorts in derision as he sees the same story played out before him on an actual stage, the giant serpent rearing up to strike the red-clad Aaron.

(‘Melodramatic nonsense, all of it. Don’t give me that look, Honeysuckle.’) 

There’s also something to be said about the familiarity with which the knight and the herbalist regard the stranger. Whenever he stumbles, either one would catch him, and cling onto him a little longer than strictly necessary, and when they think no one is watching, their hands would clasp together.

(‘My loves, if I could, I would shout of our love from the top of the Queen’s tower to the entire Citadel below!’) 

But mostly, they spend the night a part of the crowd. The knight competes in an archery contest, and beats the participants soundly, draping the winning sash over the grinning herbalist. 

(‘You big, dumb, show off you, get over here.)

The herbalist buys three bowls of shaved ice, coated in sugary syrup, and in the midst of the heat, the three savour the treat with relish. 

(‘Arum.. are you getting a brain freeze?!’) 

And the stranger, in a surprising feat of forwardness, participates in the fights in the square, stumbling around the ring, yet he moves with a certain fluidity, and he wields his double-bladed knives as if they were extensions of his arms. 

(He doesn’t make it far in the competition, of course, but the blush across Damien’s face whenever their eyes meet makes it more than worth it. He tosses the consolation prize to Damien and Rilla with a satisfied look in his eye. They love the stuffed demon boar, predictably, and throw their arms around him, public be dammed.)

Of course, when the music begins playing, the three join in the dancing. They jump and twirl in time to the banging of Saint Aaron’s drums, laughing whenever they trip or tread on someone’s toes, stomping and clapping enthusiastically.

(Arum refuses to join in at first, but can’t stop himself from tapping along begrudgingly.)

The music slows, and the drums are replaced by the gongs and chimes of a Gamelan ensemble. The three slow, too, and let the serene waves of sound drift over their senses, moving, as one, to the music. With the lanterns dimming, and the three obscured beneath a vine covered archway, it’s hard to notice the intricate dance they’re locked in. The stranger draws the knight close to his chest, while his other arm twirls the herbalist away from himself. The knight lifts the herbalist in the air, and when she is lowered, proceeds to dip the stranger in a kiss, clumsy the first time, but when their lips meet again, the kiss is deep and long. 

(And this moment could last forever, and none of them would complain.)

And when the fireworks begin, marking the end of the first day, the three watch in wonder, pressed close together, as the rest of the world falls away.

(Three kisses are shared beneath the night sky, illuminated with blazing colours.)

No one notices the three leaving the Citadel, now quiet and dark. 

(No one notices the stranger slip off his necklace)

No one notices that the stranger is no more, a monster standing in his stead

(And no one notices Arum as he scoops up two sleeping humans in his arms like he had wanted to all night, and smiling softly, returns home.)

**Author's Note:**

> (pssst thanks for reading I love u)


End file.
